What are some initiatives\things\volunteering you have been involved with this past term? Describe what you have done, and the time you have spent.

• Despite being in Grade 12, this is my first year on the tech team. Within my first two months, I would say I became quite involved. For starters, I sit at the Wave table once a week during my spare (Block 4). Although there aren’t many people needing tech help during this block, when a student does come for assistance, I try my best to help them with their issues. Usually, I am successful, but if I can’t resolve the problem, I ask a more experienced person in the library, such as a tech teacher or another tech team student. I make sure to keep a positive outlook when helping students, as I understand that sometimes I am learning alongside them.

  Another initiative I’ve been heavily involved in is social media. I am part of the social media team within the tech team, and I would say I am quite active in this area. As I have access to the school’s social media accounts, I understand this privilege and try my best to consistently post content (1-2 posts a day). When teachers email the RapidEvent account, I’m usually the one who posts the requested content, whether it’s for the TVs, the school’s Instagram, or a creative poster with the information provided.

  Additionally, through my involvement in leadership, I help post events held by leadership whenever I receive emails from my leadership teacher. Through my club, Riverside Showcased, we create creative content for Instagram, covering school events or holidays. This aligns with tech team’s goal of expanding student engagement on our social media. Our club’s content often relies on student and staff involvement, which draws significant attention from other students.

  I also create a weekly menu for the cafeteria and try to repost the daily menu each day. Since I am quite active on the school’s Instagram, I regularly check the DMs, post student-requested content, answer general questions in the DMs, and monitor the comments. Finally, I have attended two events held in the library. The first was the naming ceremony, for which I also helped create the invitations, and the second was the Microsoft event, where I sat at the Wave.

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What are some things you have learned? What are some of your strengths?

• There are three things I have learned. The first is how to use the Cricut. At the beginning of the year, I was completely clueless about using the Cricut, but after the sticker assignment and with the help of Ms. Leung, I’d say I now know how to use it at a standard level. After learning to use the Cricut for the sticker assignment, I was able to teach another tech team member and a friend how to use it. With this new knowledge, my peers and I created a pumpkin for the pumpkin contest, which earned 2nd place. I have also improved my editing skills for videos and creative posts (using Canva), as I found myself creating and editing various types of videos and posts.
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What are some of the challenges, aha moments, small wins…you experienced? What are some areas where you can grow? What are some stretches?

• A challenge I experienced at the beginning of tech team was keeping up with all the social media content that needed to be posted or created and finding ways to efficiently showcase all the events happening in the school. After some trial and error, the solution I found that worked best was using my resources. For extra creative content, I found that collaborating with my friend’s and my own club, as well as leadership, was the most efficient approach. Members in our club and leadership helped create content for the social media accounts, and I helped execute their ideas.

  Another struggle I faced early on was audience engagement and finding ways to generate content that students would enjoy. I discovered that the best way to do this was by incorporating trends already popular on social media in a school-appropriate way. For example, our most recent post was inspired by a trending Roblox game called “Dress to Impress,” where teachers “walked the catwalk” and showed off their costumes. This video was very successful, gaining over 300 likes and even a repost from SD43. An area I’d like to grow in is showcasing a wider range of the Riverside community we don’t often see, such as the theatre company, band, and Riverside art.

Looking ahead…What are some things you would like to improve and/or accomplish? Is there something I want to learn or try?  Focus on technology, leadership and school culture. Provide a specific goal.

• I understand that my main focus during tech team is social media, but after learning how to use the Cricut machine, I would love to improve my skills with different tools in and outside of  the makerspace, such as the 3D printer and the laser cutter. Once I learn to use these tools, I’ll be able to help other students who need assistance, rather than being unsure of how to help them. To achieve this goal, I plan on spending more time in the makerspace during my free time and experimenting with these tools with the guidance of those who are already experienced in using them.